D&D 5E Easy realistic economy

[Thurmas]

what about electrum! Shouldn't it be:
$1 = 1 CP
$10 = 1 SP
$50 = 1 EP
$100 = 1 GP
$1000 = 1 PP

You lose all credibility for including Electrum. What a horrible currency.

 

[FrogReaver]

I really like the idea.

If one is worried about prices being to cheap that way then just multiply by 10 for high end and uncommon things due to your d&d world not having mass production factories. That should get you in the ball park.

or just multiply by 10 for everything to give the world a more scarc feel.

 

[FrogReaver]

A chart for cost of pub items in this system would be helpful.

 

[dave2008]

A chart for cost of pub items in this system would be helpful.

The whole point is that you don't need a chart. If a beer cost $5 at your local drinking establishment then you know it would cost 5 CP at the local D&D tavern.

 

[dave2008]

Then the exercise is a failure, because I would certainly not "easily accept" such prices. The modern economy is totally different from the medieval economy; mass production changes everything, on every level. And the typical D&D world does not have magic-driven factories pumping out goods, so you can't just swap in magic for technology.

A failure for you, incredible usable and simple for others. Unlikely there is a system that works for both.

This approach is no more convincing than just using prices out of the PHB,...

No more convincing for you. Try to step outside your own perspective understand who this system is for. Listen, I am not likely to use it; because we don't track treasure and the cost of things at all in my group. However, I am able to see how its simplicity and flexibility is very useful for simple on the fly adjudication - which is the goal.

...and it's a lot more work.

If that is what you think then we are clearly looking at this from very different perspectives. This is the first D&D economy idea I have ever thought of using because it is so simple. But then again, I never give it much thought because I have no desire to look up the cost of something in a book when we are playing (or to memorize what everything costs).

 

[Yaarel]

Personally, the next time my character builds a castle, I intend to use 100% magic to create it. Secure it in an build it out of seemless solid rock using Wall of Stone spells, perhaps transmute the stone to metal if spell research remains balanced gamewise, secure it in an extradimensional space, and so on. I probably want it as part of a magico-topian mage community involving other characters. Possibly, it will be a supertower, a tower with the housing units of a city.

In any case, I expect a book that lists medieval prices for mundane castle building to be irrelevant for this castle.

But obviously, hidden costs will happen, and adjudicating on the fly would be handy.

 

[Yaarel]

I created a new vote thread, to get a sense of which dollar values for the coins you guys prefer.

It might help to discuss the relative value of the gp there, and the pricing of D&D items here.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I have a highly integrative thought process. I can't easily ignore inconsistencies. This means I'm forced to think through these sorts of things when planning my games/campaigns.

The conclusion I have come to is that if you reference all the various costs and wages for non-magical things, including PHB equipment, DMG real estate, and (very importantly) the living expenses for various lifestyles, the most satisfying simple interpretation that maintains the relative value of the various coins is 1 gp = $100.

This takes into account the relationship between the income of a commoner and the price of bread or livestock etc.

The further assumptions that need to be made to interpret it this way is that adventuring equipment, including weapons, is expensive premium stuff. A longsword is comparable to a state of the art military assault rifle. The idea that the divide between rich and poor is huge is well accepted enough that I assume people are thinking in those terms also.

You also have to accept that there are three categories of items that are incapable of being interpretively harmonized with the others: magic items, poisons, and top tier armors.

Doing it this way works. (It also serves as a standard that lets me change values of rewards and such in published adventures (from any edition). This usually means PCs get much less reward money, and I'm okay with that. They will become fabulously wealthy compared to the common man soon enough if they are raiding burial chambers and treasure vaults.)

Now pull out those books and see how this looks. If anyone can come up with a better number that takes into account everything I'm looking at (even better if you can fit in the poisons or armors), and preserves the value ratio of 1 gp = 10 sp = 100 cp, I want to know your number so I can use it. But I think you'll have a hard time with it, without ignoring more given numbers than the few categories I did.

 

[Krachek]

I think you are missing the intent of this exercise. The intent is to creature a simple way to handle the economy that a DM can use intuitively. It is not really about being "realistic," it is about being simple and easy to use with enough flavor or realism that everyone can easily accept the prices you use.

I do.
So my best way to understand economy in DnD is to figure out the average monthly salary for Skilled worker, poor, aristocrat, etc.
Using the monthly salary you can compare thing, and evaluate how important is an amount of gold.

 

[Ancalagon]

Any solid economy starts with salaries.

In 5e, a common laborer earns about 2 sp per day. A skilled sellsword on retainer 1-2 gp/day. Work with that. "50 gp each to rescue the mayor's niece? that's a month's salary! Let's go!"